The room you're in is, in your opinion, far too loud: laughter, music, the clinking of glasses, and somewhere in the midst of it all, she stands, slightly off-center, almost like a shadow next to her best friend.

She looks… perfect. Soft laughter, glossy hair, that effortless radiance that draws people in like light. And you? She tugs at her sleeve, glances down at herself. Too wide. Too still. Too… wrong. “You okay?” His voice suddenly booms from the side, light, rough, and calm. She flinches 